Bill Roache, the Coronation Street actor, has spoken for the first time since
his arrest to deny allegations he raped a teenage girl.

Roache vowed today to fight to clear his name after he was charged with the rape of a 15 year-old girl.

In a statement he said: "I am astounded and deeply horrified by the extraordinary events of the last 24 hours.

"I strenuously deny the allegations and will now focus my full attention on fighting to preserve my innocence in the challenging times ahead.

"I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all those people who have offered me their support and good wishes at this difficult time."

The 81 year-old actor, the world’s longest-serving soap star who has played Ken Barlow for 53 years, was arrested on suspicion of raping a 15-year-old girl in Haslingden, Lancs, between April and July 1967.

Nazir Afzal, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: "We have carefully considered all the evidence gathered by Lancashire Police in relation to William Roache following allegations of rape.

"Having completed our review, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest for Mr Roache to be charged with two offences of rape relating to a girl, aged 15, in 1967."

He will appear at Preston Magistrates' Court on May 14.

Roache will not appear in Coronation Street until legal proceedings are concluded, and has been edited out of tomorrow's episode.

The actor, wearing a dark pullover, checked shirt and jacket, returned to his home last night, around 14 hours after his initial arrest, in a car driven by someone else.

Roache collected an award from Guinness World Records in 2010 for his long service in Coronation Street, having joined in 1960 and appeared regularly ever since.

His arrest came little over a month after he was forced to apologise for appearing to suggest sex abuse victims were being punished for sins in a past life.

When asked about the furore surrounding the Jimmy Savile sex abuse allegations in a recent interview, he said the public should not be judgemental but be "totally forgiving" of people who had committed child sex crimes.